SPORTS LINE

The Milwaukee Brewers.  
The Brewers pay tribute to legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker.  Bob Uecker’s Hall of Fame broadcasting career began only after the Milwaukee Brewers initially hired him as a scout. Former Brewers owner and MLB commissioner Bud Selig said it didn’t take long to realize Uecker might be better suited for a different role. The star-studded celebration was hosted by former NBC broadcast partner Bob Costas and featured Hall of Famers George Brett, Ted Simmons, and Robin Yount as well as Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich.

All the Brewers players wore special tribute uniforms with “UECK” instead of their own names on the back of their jerseys for Sunday’s game to honor the man who is probably more synonymous with the franchise than any particular player. The entire team joined Uecker’s relatives behind the mound before Bob Uecker Jr. threw out the first pitch to Yount.

The game featured commemorative baseballs and bases honoring Uecker. The celebration of life comes with the Brewers owning the best record in baseball as they chase their first World Series title. American Family Field’s broadcast wing above the press box was renamed the Bob Uecker Broadcast Center. Uecker’s name already appeared on a medallion alongside all the Brewers’ retired numbers, but it was updated Sunday to include his name and a single microphone. Memorabilia, including photos and various examples of his plaid sports coats, were displayed all over the concourses. Uecker was also beloved by players who treasured his regular appearances in the locker room to swap stories or offer encouragement. That meant treating even a player coming up from the minors no differently than an American president.

Although Uecker made his career .200 batting average a frequent target of his self-deprecating humor, the broadcaster’s status as a former backup catcher gave him a remarkable perspective. After the Brewers acquired him before the 1981 season, Simmons said Uecker offered pointers on handling Milwaukee’s pitching staff. He was truly an honorable, caring, and loyal man inside and out.

The Milwaukee Bucks.
The team is looking for a better end to the next season than they had this past season. For the second straight year, they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. Heading into next year, their roster will look quite different. Damian Lillard will no longer be handling the point guard duties, and Myles Turner is the new starting center. The Bucks will head into next year with a nice advantage in hand. Milwaukee has one of the easiest schedules in the league. In fact, they have the sixth-easiest schedule in the league. The Bucks need to take advantage of this easy schedule to make the playoffs and get home-court advantage. That will give them the best chance to finally make a deep run in the East.

Next season could be Antetokounmpo’s best chance to emerge out of the East since 2022, when the Bucks’ championship defense was impacted by a critical Khris Middleton injury in the playoffs. They have to figure out how to run the offense now that they don’t have an elite point guard. Staying healthy is going to be a big key for the Bucks next season, something that has plagued them late in the season over the last couple of years. That’s another reason they must start fast.

The Green Bay Packers.
The team’s defense set the tone by forcing three first-half turnovers, and Green Bay stayed in control of the game throughout its 20-7 victory over the Seahawks to conclude the 2025 preseason Saturday at Lambeau Field. The Packers finished 2-1 in preseason action. QB Malik Willis started the game and directed one long TD drive with the help of a 39-yard completion to rookie WR Matthew Golden and a pair of QB scrambles for 19 yards. Willis finished 3-of-6 for 50 yards with a TD, to WR Romeo Doubs, and one INT for a 78.5 passer rating. QBs Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma rotated series after that. Clifford was 6-of-9 for 19 yards, while Elgersma was 6-of-8 for 33 yards and a TD, to WR Will Sheppard. On the ground, RB Emanuel Wilson had eight carries for 38 yards to lead the team, with Amar Johnson adding eight carries for 25 yards.